Jacob Redmond
Well-Known Member
The Department of Public Health and Social Services is exploring options to strengthen the regulations related to the use of medical marijuana on Guam, officials said on Friday.
"We want to make sure (the program) benefits the patients it`s supposed to and, at the same time, provide security and safety for the community that may be concerned that medical marijuana is an option," said Michelle Lastimoza, environmental health officer.
She is one of the public health officials who went to Arizona last month to observe its facilities and learn how the program works.
DPHSS's draft rules and regulations were patterned after the Arizona Medical Marijuana Act, which went into effect April 2011.
At a presentation, Lastimoza, Rosanna Rabago, administrator of the Environmental Public Health Office, and Cynthia Naval, planner, discussed proposed additions to the draft, which they said could improve Guam's medical marijuana regulations.
The DPHSS will revise the draft and hold a public hearing by the end of July.
During their visit, the staff noted that the medical marijuana identification card application process for the Arizona program was done online with no face-to-face interaction between employees and applicants. DPHSS is looking into creating a system where patients or caregivers applying for an identification card will meet with a DPHSS staff member, they said.
"We will confirm that (the patients) have certification from a physician who says they have the disease," Naval said. "Patients would be assisted when applying."
The public health staff said the Arizona dispensary employees were not medical professionals and their training was not standardized.
Another addition to the draft is to require all dispensary agents to have standardized training that will be conducted by the medical director of the dispensary. This additional requirement is designed to ensure patients with a specific condition coming into the dispensary will be assisted with proper medical advice. No training plan has been mapped out or turned in yet as the rules and regulations are still in draft form.
There will also be background checks for the dispensary personnel and caregivers, to ensure they do not have any excluded felony on their records.
According to Naval, lab testing of medical cannabis was not a required component in Arizona`s rules and regulations. DPHSS recommend that the medical marijuana be tested to ensure the safety of consumers.
In the testing lab, the cannabis is examined for fungus and other potentially harmful disease-causing pathogens. The testing is also meant to determine the chemical makeup of the products sold at the dispensary.
For now, the law specifies only nine medical conditions for which a patient may receive medical marijuana once the law is enacted and DPHSS develops the regulations. These conditions include cancer, glaucoma, multiple sclerosis, damage to nervous tissue of spinal cord, epilepsy, HIV or AIDS, post-traumatic stress disorder, rheumatoid arthritis or similar chronic autoimmune inflammatory disorders and for patients admitted to hospice care.
Under the law, patients are banned from cultivating medical marijuana and DPHSS said medical cannabis, even seeds, cannot be imported from other locations.
"We must rely on marijuana that is grown here," Naval said.
News Moderator: Jacob Redmond 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Marianas Variety - Guam health department mulls stronger rules on pot
Author: Julius Cantara
Contact: julius@mvguam.com
Photo Credit: Stripes
Website: Marianas Variety - Marianas Variety - Today's Headlines
"We want to make sure (the program) benefits the patients it`s supposed to and, at the same time, provide security and safety for the community that may be concerned that medical marijuana is an option," said Michelle Lastimoza, environmental health officer.
She is one of the public health officials who went to Arizona last month to observe its facilities and learn how the program works.
DPHSS's draft rules and regulations were patterned after the Arizona Medical Marijuana Act, which went into effect April 2011.
At a presentation, Lastimoza, Rosanna Rabago, administrator of the Environmental Public Health Office, and Cynthia Naval, planner, discussed proposed additions to the draft, which they said could improve Guam's medical marijuana regulations.
The DPHSS will revise the draft and hold a public hearing by the end of July.
During their visit, the staff noted that the medical marijuana identification card application process for the Arizona program was done online with no face-to-face interaction between employees and applicants. DPHSS is looking into creating a system where patients or caregivers applying for an identification card will meet with a DPHSS staff member, they said.
"We will confirm that (the patients) have certification from a physician who says they have the disease," Naval said. "Patients would be assisted when applying."
The public health staff said the Arizona dispensary employees were not medical professionals and their training was not standardized.
Another addition to the draft is to require all dispensary agents to have standardized training that will be conducted by the medical director of the dispensary. This additional requirement is designed to ensure patients with a specific condition coming into the dispensary will be assisted with proper medical advice. No training plan has been mapped out or turned in yet as the rules and regulations are still in draft form.
There will also be background checks for the dispensary personnel and caregivers, to ensure they do not have any excluded felony on their records.
According to Naval, lab testing of medical cannabis was not a required component in Arizona`s rules and regulations. DPHSS recommend that the medical marijuana be tested to ensure the safety of consumers.
In the testing lab, the cannabis is examined for fungus and other potentially harmful disease-causing pathogens. The testing is also meant to determine the chemical makeup of the products sold at the dispensary.
For now, the law specifies only nine medical conditions for which a patient may receive medical marijuana once the law is enacted and DPHSS develops the regulations. These conditions include cancer, glaucoma, multiple sclerosis, damage to nervous tissue of spinal cord, epilepsy, HIV or AIDS, post-traumatic stress disorder, rheumatoid arthritis or similar chronic autoimmune inflammatory disorders and for patients admitted to hospice care.
Under the law, patients are banned from cultivating medical marijuana and DPHSS said medical cannabis, even seeds, cannot be imported from other locations.
"We must rely on marijuana that is grown here," Naval said.
News Moderator: Jacob Redmond 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Marianas Variety - Guam health department mulls stronger rules on pot
Author: Julius Cantara
Contact: julius@mvguam.com
Photo Credit: Stripes
Website: Marianas Variety - Marianas Variety - Today's Headlines
